LAKE ELSINORE ---- The Storm's season came to a crashing halt in the ninth inning Thursday night at The Diamond.

With the game scoreless, Storm closer Bryan Oland conceded four consecutive base hits that led to three runs, and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes downed Lake Elsinore 3-0 to sweep the California League first-round, best-of-three playoff series before 2,059.

Rancho Cucamonga, which finished 12 games behind the Storm in the regular season, advanced to face South Division champion High Desert in the Division Championship Series.

"It's very disappointing," Storm manager Carlos Lezcano said. "I wasn't expecting to be two and out. You've got to give credit to those guys. In a short series, anything can happen. But I'm proud of the guys. We had a good season."

Lake Elsinore wasted a superlative performance by starting pitcher Wynn Pelzer, who conceded just three hits, gave up no runs, struck out seven and walked three in seven innings. Set-up reliever Craig Italiano retired the side in the eighth inning, but the normally reliable Oland collapsed in the ninth.

After getting leadoff batter Efren Navarro to ground out to second, Oland gave up a triple, a single and two doubles to four straight batters.

Left fielder Jeremy Moore hit a one-out triple to right-center field, and he came home when third baseman Jay Brossman singled to center. Designated hitter Hector Estrella and right fielder Clay Fuller then hit back-to-back doubles to bring in two more runs.

"It's just tough," Oland said. "I couldn't throw, I couldn't get ahead of hitters and when you can't get ahead of hitters, you're throwing pitches they want to hit. When you get behind on the count, you've got to throw them fastballs, and they were sitting on it and hit it."

Storm designated hitter Angel Mercado hit a two-out single to left field in the bottom of the ninth, but center fielder Danny Payne stuck out to end the season.

"I was disappointed," Pelzer said. "It's just one of those things. They played two really good games, and we just came up short."

The Storm's best chances to score came in the first, third and fifth innings.

In the first, first baseman Matt Clark hit an infield single, but right fielder Brian Joynt was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second.

In the third, the Storm had runners on first and second with one out, but second baseman Keoni Ruth and Joynt each flied out on consecutive at-bats.

In the fifth, the Storm had runners on first and second with one out again, but left fielder Brad Chalk flied out and Ruth grounded out.

"We had a good season," Lezcano said. "A lot of good things happened. It's a sad night when you've got to say goodbye to the family you've had for the last six months."